ABSTRACT
Plancus, Lepidus, and Pollio could not move their armies across the Alps as long as snow blocked the passes, but they could use the coastal Viae Domitia and Aurelia. Brutus and Cassius were confined to east of the Adriatic while the seas were unsafe for transporting armies. The general desire to avoid renewed civil war worked in Antony's favor, but only if statesmen moved quickly. That left Plancus in Gallia Comata. The Alps would keep Antony out of Italy. He would have Caesarian governors with armies nearby, Lepidus and Pollio, a counterpart to M. Brutus and Cassius in east. Alps. Plancus' location and activities until late April are not known, but headquarters close to where Lugdunum would arise is likely. Couriers made their way back and forth, political maneuvers continued, and Pansa raised troops. Plancus' reluctance to commit his army matched that of Lepidus, Pollio, and new consuls–all of whom Plancus knew quite well from years of service under Caesar.
